The Road to Nowhere
by Amodestpoet
Summary: It has beeen 18 years since Lucas last encountered Methos, the legendary oldest immortal. When Lucas finally returns to Chicago to try and set his past right, a few ghosts decide to appear along the way. Sequel to A Thousand Lives.
1. A Proper Farewell

**Hey guys, it's been awhile since I put up a story. I'm working on a couple projects right now, but I figured it was time to start putting them up. Here is the first chapter of the sequel to A Thousand Lives. This would not be possible without my beta, Spirit Speaker, and her constant encouragement of all my weird ideas. Enjoy!**

The cemetery was nearly abandoned at this time, since no one wanted to stand and pay their respects in hurricane like conditions. There were a few here and there that braved the storm, but not as many as normally would be. Near the middle of the cemetery, a young man kneeled with what jasmines hadn't been blown away by the wind. He had only a light poncho, and no umbrella to shield him from the storm.

"Hey sis. It's been a long time since I've been able to come back here. Just too risky. I'm sorry it has to be this way, but my life is kind of a mess, as you may well know. I just hope you're somewhere safe now. Away from all this. It's funny how dying can change your outlook on an afterlife. I would have brought more jasmines, but with the weather, it's the best I can do. I can't stay much longer, for the obvious reasons. I do wish I could though. I still feel guilty about what happened, and maybe that's the reason I haven't come back in so long. I hope you know how much you're missed. By mom and dad too, I'm sure. I think they've accepted that I died in the car crash. Or shortly after at least. I haven't been back to town since that day. I probably should go over and say something to Tommy. Tell him it wasn't his fault. However, it was my fault that you died. I couldn't save you. And for that, I can never be forgiven." Lucas paused a moment to wipe away the tears from his eyes.

It had been 18 years since his sister was brutally murdered, and he still hadn't found any solace in her murderer's death. He had tried to help out random people when he could. He had avoided major cities in that time, for fear of running into others of his kind. He had even fled to England for awhile. But the time had finally come to ask for forgiveness from his sister, and so he had come back. It was time he made a new life for himself, and stopped running from the demons of his past. He was going to have to forge himself if he wanted to live as long as Methos. Yet in the 18 years that had passed, one thing remained the same: He owed his life to Methos. If he could ever find a hint of the man, he'd go and thank him. For now, all he could do was honor his sister by helping others.

As the rain continued to pound him, he laid the last of the flowers on his sister's grave.

"Goodbye for now, Alice. Someday, I'll come back and visit you again. I miss you." With that, Lucas stood up and started to leave the cemetery, determined not to visit Carmi again for a long time. But as he walked towards the entrance, he felt compelled to visit his old friend, Tommy. He wasn't quite sure what he'd say, but the need to say something overwhelmed him.

"Hey, Tommy, this is really a bad idea isn't it? I didn't fail you, you just had some shitty luck. It sucks that this life came at the cost of yours. I wouldn't have wished for this, as you well know. Unfortunately, now you and Alice have both paid the cost of my existence. I hope you forgave me." He didn't know what else to say, so he started to walk out of the cemetery.

As he was on his way out, he felt the familiar buzzing of an Immortal nearby.

_No! They have no reason to be here. I need to find a way out,_ Lucas was panicking at the thought. An older gentleman noticed him, and sighed.

"Well, this is awkward. I didn't think any of our kind would be here. But this isn't the time to pick a fight, being holy ground and all. If you want to fight me, I'm afraid you're out of luck, and I suggest you skip town as quickly as possible." As the man spoke, he stepped aside and left the entrance open to Lucas to pass through.

"You're a rare man among us to not pick a fight. Can I ask what your name is?" Lucas was mildly curious. He'd look it up later, see what he could find out about it.

"A long time ago, I was known as Sherman. Though that time has come and passed. I wish you long life, young man. I hope we never meet again." Taking a hint, Lucas quickly left the cemetery, without ever asking why the man was there in the first place. It was a long way from anywhere, and not many had a reason to pass through.  
Too nervous to stick around, Lucas decided his best bet was to head back to Evansville, and take a Greyhound to anywhere. Anywhere was better than being back home, where if he stayed any longer, he might be recognized as a dead man.

At the bus station, he had a decision to make. He had made some money a little while back, a thanks for his assistance back in England. He chuckled at himself thinking about what had happened. He had missed home, but he couldn't risk staying too long. It had to end sometime. He'd be back again someday, but for now, he needed to buy a ticket to somewhere. His eyes wandered over the board, and he finally decided on Orlando. He could use some time in the South. He walked up to the counter and started the process of trying to get to Orlando.

"I need a ticket to Orlando. One way." Nice and simple, no need for things to get complicated.

"You'll be on the bus for a long time, son. You'll get to Orlando, via Chicago, Atlanta, and Tallahassee. It'll be a little over a day's worth of travel. You sure about this?" The attendant wanted to make sure the young man was willing to spend over 200 dollars for a bus ride.

"The longer it takes, the better," Lucas was about to hand over his money when he realized that the route would take him through 3 major cities. The odds of him running into another Immortal were good, but he wanted to avoid airports at all costs after what happened in England. Though he wasn't exactly thrilled to be going to back to Chicago, it's what had to happen.

Maybe this time he could leave with his life intact. It was a small hope, but he had been told by someone wiser than him to hold on to whatever hope he could. And hope was hard to find these days. So yes, he would hold on to hope whenever hope appeared. For hope was the only thing that drove him to carry on.

* * *

Fun fact: If you try and look up this route on Greyhound, you'll find it doesn't exist. Anyways, what do you think of his conversations with Alice and Tommy? And just who was that man in the cemetery? Stick around and you may even find out what happened in England. Thank you all for reading this far! You all help so much.


	2. Back in the Game

**Sorry about the delay in publishing this one. You'd think that on a two week schedule, I'd find time to update this on time. Anyways, here it is, with the help of Spirit Speaker, who is an incredible author of her own. Read and enjoy, my friends. **

Lucas really wasn't looking forward to coming back to Chicago. As he saw the cities skyline slowly start to overtake the view out the front of the bus, he couldn't help but wonder if he hadn't made a mistake. He was bound to get in trouble here if he took too long. But then again, he wouldn't mind a little distraction from his travels.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be at our destination in about 20 minutes. That'll get you there a few minutes early, long enough to get something to eat if you wish," the bus driver announced.

The one thing that worried Lucas about coming back to Chicago, or any major city along this route, was the high probability of running into a rather unfriendly Immortal. The odds of running into one that was on sabbatical were a joke. Immortals lived for The Game. It was the only thing that mattered to his race. There it was, that dark and despairing thought. His people. He was not human, he was Immortal. He did not know why he was chosen, and Methos implied that none of them had ever figured it out. Lucas wondered for a moment whether they'd ever meet again. The man may have been a dick, but he had saved his life. It would be nice to see he was still alive.

While Lucas continued thinking about his experiences over the past 18 years, the bus arrived at the station a few minutes early. Lucas sighed, grabbed his bag and stepped off. His next bus wasn't due at the station for another 70 minutes, so he decided to go check out the cafe they had in the station. He found a seat quickly and started looking over their menu when he felt the familiar buzz of a nearby Immortal. He tried to keep calm and not draw attention to himself, but he knew he would be found real quickly. It was impossible for them not to find each other. So while he waited and looked over the menu some more, a middle aged man sat down across from him.

"This wasn't taken was it?" The gentleman asked with a tone of amusement

"Go right ahead. I'm not doing anything 'til I get something to eat." Lucas wasn't in the mood to fight, though he did have his sword near him.

"Oh come now, do you think I'm that rude that I'd kill a boy eating lunch in this crowded place? Smart thinking on your part though, making sure you stay in a crowded area. Makes it harder for me to challenge you if I desire." There was something about the man's voice, as if he was raised in a different time but tried to keep up with the changing dialects. His voice had a slight southern accent to it.

"Sir, I really don't want to fight you. I'm just on my way to visit St. Augustine. I hear it's lovely down there." Lucas hoped that would help the stranger just move on.

"Ah, the old Spanish Fort. I remember it well. It's only been 150 years since I was near there. Maybe I should take a trip sometime," The stranger laughed.

"Please, sir-" Lucas started.

"Call me Jack for now,"

"Ok, Jack… You really don't have to do this. We can just go on our way and that'll be the end of it. No need for us to fight." Lucas was desperate at this point.

Before either of them could say anything more, the waitress finally came up to them.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" She was young and rather polite for being in such a lousy job.

"I'll take a club and a Pepsi. And for my young friend here, let's get a pulled pork and another Pepsi too," Jack ordered before Lucas could say anything.

"Will that be all for you then?" She asked

"I suppose an order of fries would be fine too," Jack added. The waitress nodded and then left to go fill the order.

"If you're just going to kill me, why bother buying me lunch?" Lucas was confused.

"Because I haven't decided whether or not I wish to kill you yet. You may be useful to me in taking down an old rival." Jack stared off for a moment as he said this.

"And why would I even know who that is? I haven't been at this for very long," Lucas sighed with relief knowing that he wasn't going to be killed right away. "Do you always recruit new players to help with old conflicts?"  
"Only sometimes. Sometimes I recruit them to help serve in wars. Though that's harder to now than it was back in the day. This technology makes it difficult to fake having been in the Services that long." The man had the impression of being an officer at some point in his life.

"Just who are you?"

"An old war hero, dead before his time. Or so history would have you believe. I fought because I didn't think it was their problem. I didn't care one way or the other about the rights of property, I just didn't think I should have to," Jack rambled on.

"And how do you think I can help you?" Lucas was cautious.

"My old rival, Sherman. I have heard he's on his way back to town. You can help me or not, but I think you would do well to help me. The man is a monster and should have been taken out decades ago. But that doesn't matter. He won't be here for another couple days from what I understand."  
"Why are you here? There's no way you could have known that an Immortal would be coming to this cafe."  
"Oh that's simple enough. I own a series of cafes around town and this just happens to be one of them. Your bad luck is all. I never did get your name."  
"Alex. Alex Rock." That was the name he was going by lately.

"Well then, Alex. It seems that you had either the worst luck ever by meeting me here, or fate likes you. Our kind doesn't tend to live long without some guidance. I can help you out with that," Jack offered his hand but before Lucas considered shaking it, their food finally arrived.

* * *

Lucas just has terrible luck doesn't he? Anyone besides **Spirit Speaker **have any guesses as to who Jack is? And do you think he's trustworthy? Thank you to everyone who is following any of my stories. Leave a review, it helps get these published on time.


	3. In Too Deep

**Someday, I promise I am going to upload something on time. Until then, I really hope you can bear with me. This chapter is made possible by the lovely and talented Spirit Speaker. Please be sure to check out her stories sometime, you won't regret it. Until then, please read and enjoy!**

Lucas stared at his food for a moment, before taking a bite of his sandwich. It wasn't the best he'd ever had, but he was wary of making any judgements in front of the owner of the cafe.

"What exactly is it you want me to do, Jack?" Lucas managed to ask in between bites of his sandwich.

"To offer you a helping hand. How long have you been around now anyways?" Jack took a sip of Pepsi and waited for an answer.

"You mean how long have I been in the Game, or how long have I been alive?"

"Same question. Your life before your ascension doesn't matter. It's long gone and you can't return. But, of course, you already know that. I'm curious how you know how to call it the Game. Not many of our kind know the Gathering by that name. Or even that it is called the Gathering." Jack looked at him strangely, trying to discern where Lucas got all his information that hadn't been heard by a kid as young as him in over a hundred years.

"I met a man once. He saved my life and gave me a few pointers. Then he left and I haven't seen him in almost twenty years," Lucas explained.

"And this man's name would be?"

"Adam Pierson, if that means anything to you." Lucas really wasn't interested in letting this man know about Methos. He had the distinct impression that that would not end well. Besides, he had no knowledge of where Methos currently was. It's not like he could just look him up on his phone.

"No, I have no idea who that is. But if he helped you a little, than that's less work for me. Have you killed anyone yet?" Lucas nearly choked on his sandwich. He was asked that in a place as public as this?  
"You're seriously this cavalier in a bus depot?" Lucas wasn't afraid to answer the question. He was afraid that someone was listening.

"Of course. These people have better things to do with their lives than listen to a buisness man try and help some poor runaway. Though, you don't really look like a runaway. Now, son, answer the question." Jack's tone was stern but not demeaning.

"Yes, I killed a man called Lityerses 20 years ago, by complete accident. And I've killed a few civilians that were trying to hurt people. Lityerses was the only Immortal I've killed though. I regret having to kill the civilians, but I couldn't see any other way of stopping them. Lityerses had to die though." The strength in which Lucas stated this was only overwhelmed by how softly he was able to say it.

"Lityerses… I recognize that name, though I can't say why. But you know what it's like to kill by accident. Perhaps I can teach you enough to make sure next time you win on purpose," He was interrupted by a ringtone out of his pocket. It didn't last long, but Jack sighed. He reached into his pocket, checked the phone and put it back. He also pulled out a business card. "Unfortunately, I have to go. Think about my offer. And here's my card if you wish to contact me." Jack stood up and handed Lucas his business card before leaving the cafe.

Lucas waited until he was out of sight, finished his sandwich and then left the cafe headed the opposite direction. The card was left on the table.

RTN RTN RTN

Lucas pondered for a moment the conversation he just had with the Immortal Jack. The man was right, he couldn't go back to his old life, but neither did he want to be caught up in an old feud. He just wanted to get away from all of it for as long as he could. Sadly, it seemed his fate was to stay trapped in the city of his nightmares for a little while longer. He really wished he had a way to contact Methos, but he couldn't very well go up to the Watchers organization and ask for Adam Pierson. No doubt he was well known for his defeat of Lityerses. Or maybe he wasn't. He just needed some help and he had no idea where to get it. It seemed he would be on a road to nowhere just a little while longer.

_Screw it. If I'm gonna be caught up in the game, I'm gonna do it on my terms,_ Lucas decided. _I have to find out where the Watcher Organization is and how I can get in touch with Adam without tipping them off. _

Lucas chuckled for a second as he thought of just Googling them.

"Ah, what the hell. You can find almost anything on the internet right now." Pulling out his iPhone, he chuckled again at how silly this was going to be. "Siri, can you get me directions to the Watcher Organization here in Chicago?"

"_I'm sorry, I can't do that. Please restate your request._" Laughing again at his desperate attempt, Lucas put away the iPhone and just wandered down the street, remembering how different the city looked 20 years ago.

* * *

Fun fact: Spirit Speaker's reaction to this was "Oh, Siri." I think that's appropriate. If any of you can tell me who Jack really is, I'll try and think of something creative to do for you as a reward. Thanks to those who are following this story! It helps so much.


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